St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-27

street, now busting, active business
thOrOughfare, really had at that time no
existence as street; that big swamp
existed all along from where Tenth
street now is down Cedar and Min
nesota streets to Third, and that
people who lived along Robert and who
wanted to go to the little old brick
market house that then stood Oh the
site of the new market house, on the
northwest corner of WabaSha and
Seventh streets, were compelled to
climb the hill and go around through
the vacant lots where the High school
building and the capitol now stand, to
get there; when, in general, it is re-
membered that little more than thirty
years ago this whole town, now filled
with business blocks and beautiful resi-
dences, and population of between
100000 and 10000 people. it will be
matter of wonder that so much has been
accomplished in building up a
city of such size and Importance
i'll so short time. 1t is very
doubtful if another town in the United
States can be found where so much
money has been accumulated in so short
time. 1t is, of course, impossible to
state precisely what any mans wealth
is after all mortgages and other con-
tingent obligations have been deducted.
1t can be stated, however, that there are
many men in st. Paul who, since this
city was incorporated, a little more than
thirty years ago. began with little
or nothing, and have i'll that
short space of time accumu-
lated from a hundred thousand
dollars to many millions. A large part
of these accumulatiOns have been put
into handsome and expensive residences
and costly business blocks. In looking
over the wealthy men of st. Paul
good many who have prospered III
this worlds goods will be found i'll the
ranks of the new corners who, in many
instances, brought some wealth with
them and have accumulated more; but
that which will be the most gratifying
to the ''Old residents" will be the fact
that fortune in the distribution of her
favors has not forgotten, in all cases.
the ''Old settlers" those sturdy old civil
warriors who cut out and built up this
beautiful and commanding city. Many
of these are at least in easy circum-
stances so that their declining years
will be finished out in ease and comfort,
if not in positive luxury. One of the
wealthiest gentlemen i'll our midst, and
one that has been as long in the North
west as any other and who has seen
this whole country grow up, is COmmO-
dOre n. w. Kittson. From his early
manhood to the present time he has
lived OH the frontier The old Red
river carts. that before the rail-
roads came, were the only means of
communication between st. Paul and
the frontier posts and the Red river
region. those peculiar little carts drawn
by oxen that were used in former years
TO come down to st. Paul, and which
two-thirdS of the present citizens OF st.
Paul never saw, were as familiar to
Commodore KittsOn as the most COM
mon object with which he was ac-
quainted. A large part of his wealth
was accumulated in the extreme North
west and on the Red River of the
North, where for years he had feet of
boats and no serious competition. Money
came easy to the commodore in those
days and in large amounts. Finally. tif-
teen or eighteen years ago. he and j. }.